Ganymedes (eunuch)
Encyclopedia
Ganymedes was a eunuch in the court of Cleopatra VII who proved an able adversary of Julius Caesar
.
. When civil war broke out between Ptolemy XIII and Cleopatra, Arsinoë sided with Ptolemy, escaping the palace in Ganymedes's company to take command of the army. She executed Achillas
, who was the general of the army and Pothinus
's co-conspirator in the murder of Pompey
, and appointed Ganymedes in his stead.
Ganymedes' army was in possession of the sources of the river, which gave him control of the canals that provided Alexandria
with water, and, by extension, Caesar's water supply. With this in mind, he separated his portion of the river from Caesar's, and engineered machines to fill up Caesar's canals and cisterns with salt water. Several days of increasingly brackish water panicked Caesar's legionaries to the point where Caesar had to personally deal with the situation. Aware that Alexandria was built on limestone, and that limestone was porous, Caesar ordered wells built, restoring the water supply and calming his soldiers.
Two days after Caesar frustrated Ganymedes' ploy, the Thirty-Seventh Legion, traveling by sea and also desperately short of water, arrived in Egypt but was unable to land at Alexandria due to contrary winds. Caesar went out with his fleet to personally attend to the matter but several of his sailors, sent ashore to find water, were captured by Ganymedes' cavalry who then informed their general of Caesar's location.
Marshalling every ship at his disposal, Ganymedes then engaged Caesar in a naval battle. But Caesar prevailed, whereupon the disheartened Alexandrians almost gave up the fight; however Ganymedes succeeded in rallying them once again, and prepared a larger fleet for another engagement which this time he was sure he could win. This battle however, against Caesar's admiral Euphranor, resulted in an even more devastating defeat for Ganymedes.
Switching tactics, Ganymedes then focused on bombarding Caesar's forces. This failed to impress Caesar's veterans, although it did result in a stalemate. Afterward, a delegation of Alexandrians petitioned Caesar to return Ptolemy XIII to them, in exchange for Arsinoë, as they had grown weary of Arsinoë and Ganymedes, and wished for their King to lead them. Soon however, Caesar received reinforcements and won the decisive battle.
Ganymedes subsequently perished in flight (47 BC).
Julius Caesar
Gaius Julius Caesar was a Roman general and statesman and a distinguished writer of Latin prose. He played a critical role in the gradual transformation of the Roman Republic into the Roman Empire....
.
Life
Ganymedes was the tutor of Cleopatra's half-sister and rival, ArsinoëArsinoe IV of Egypt
Arsinoë IV was the youngest daughter of Ptolemy XII Auletes, and one of the last members of the Ptolemaic dynasty of ancient Egypt...
. When civil war broke out between Ptolemy XIII and Cleopatra, Arsinoë sided with Ptolemy, escaping the palace in Ganymedes's company to take command of the army. She executed Achillas
Achillas
Achillas was one of the guardians of the Egyptian king Ptolemy XIII Theos Philopator, and commander of the king's troops, when Pompey fled to Egypt in 48 BC...
, who was the general of the army and Pothinus
Pothinus
Pothinus , a eunuch, was regent for Pharaoh Ptolemy XIII of the Ptolemaic dynasty of Ancient Egypt. He is most remembered for turning Ptolemy against his sister and co-ruler Cleopatra VII, thus starting a civil war, and for having Pompey decapitated and presenting the severed head to Julius...
's co-conspirator in the murder of Pompey
Pompey
Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus, also known as Pompey or Pompey the Great , was a military and political leader of the late Roman Republic...
, and appointed Ganymedes in his stead.
Ganymedes' army was in possession of the sources of the river, which gave him control of the canals that provided Alexandria
Alexandria
Alexandria is the second-largest city of Egypt, with a population of 4.1 million, extending about along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea in the north central part of the country; it is also the largest city lying directly on the Mediterranean coast. It is Egypt's largest seaport, serving...
with water, and, by extension, Caesar's water supply. With this in mind, he separated his portion of the river from Caesar's, and engineered machines to fill up Caesar's canals and cisterns with salt water. Several days of increasingly brackish water panicked Caesar's legionaries to the point where Caesar had to personally deal with the situation. Aware that Alexandria was built on limestone, and that limestone was porous, Caesar ordered wells built, restoring the water supply and calming his soldiers.
Two days after Caesar frustrated Ganymedes' ploy, the Thirty-Seventh Legion, traveling by sea and also desperately short of water, arrived in Egypt but was unable to land at Alexandria due to contrary winds. Caesar went out with his fleet to personally attend to the matter but several of his sailors, sent ashore to find water, were captured by Ganymedes' cavalry who then informed their general of Caesar's location.
Marshalling every ship at his disposal, Ganymedes then engaged Caesar in a naval battle. But Caesar prevailed, whereupon the disheartened Alexandrians almost gave up the fight; however Ganymedes succeeded in rallying them once again, and prepared a larger fleet for another engagement which this time he was sure he could win. This battle however, against Caesar's admiral Euphranor, resulted in an even more devastating defeat for Ganymedes.
Switching tactics, Ganymedes then focused on bombarding Caesar's forces. This failed to impress Caesar's veterans, although it did result in a stalemate. Afterward, a delegation of Alexandrians petitioned Caesar to return Ptolemy XIII to them, in exchange for Arsinoë, as they had grown weary of Arsinoë and Ganymedes, and wished for their King to lead them. Soon however, Caesar received reinforcements and won the decisive battle.
Ganymedes subsequently perished in flight (47 BC).